Hello, friends!!
I am thrilled to welcome a new month and say goodbye to June. This year is officially half-way over and that is just so hard to believe. It sure has been a different one, hasn’t it?
I read five books in June, with one of them being an audiobook. Four of these were fiction and there was one nonfiction book in the mix. I’m excited to share my June Reading Wrap-Up with you today!
I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb
This was my first book by Wally Lamb and I definitely want to read more by him. Keith gave me this book for Mother’s Day this year and I was excited to read it. I was a little hesitant, though, because it is a whopping 900 pages long!!! Yes, you read that right!!! So, I basically feel like I should count it as three books.
I read this right after finishing Hidden Valley Road and I think they paired so well together!
I Know This Much is True centers around the relationship between Dominik Birdsey, a forty year old housepainter, and his twin brother Thomas, a paranoid schizophrenic. The novel begins after Thomas commits a shocking act of self-mutilation. It is told from Dominik’s point of view as he is forced to care for his brother and confront his own past of dark secrets and pain. We are able to watch Dominik struggle to find forgiveness as he rebuilds himself beyond the shadow of his troubled twin.
The Mothers by Brit Bennet
There has been a lot of hype around Brit Bennet’s new book The Vanishing Half. It looks really good and it is definitely on my reading list, but I wanted to first read her debut novel, The Mothers.
The Mothers begins with a secret that impacts the life of all involved eventually rocks a community. “The Mothers” in the title refers to the elderly women of a conservative congregation prone to gossip.
There is so much in this incredible novel that I don’t want to give away, but is still sitting with me today. It deals with relationships of all kinds, love, forgiveness, community and ambition. It also observes the impact that one decision can have on an entire life.
Home Before Dark by Riley Sager
Home Before Dark was my thriller for the month. I’ve read one other book by Riley Sager that I enjoyed, so I had high hopes. This book didn’t capture my attention until almost half-way though, but then it REALLY captured it and I couldn’t put it down.
Home Before Dark is centered around a house that is believed to be haunted and what took place there twenty-five years ago when the main character, Maggie Holt, and her parents lived there for twenty days before fleeing in the middle of the night.
I loved the creativity in which this story was told and the plot twists in the end. It was a fun read!
A Burning by Megha Majumdar
I love books set in other countries amid other cultures and that’s exactly what A Burning was.
This debut novel is about three characters who are flawed and, yet, absolutely unforgettable. There are all seeking to move up in the world in some way and their lives become entwined in the midst of a national tragedy.
This was a fascinating read that I loved getting caught up in. The ending wasn’t exactly hopeful, but it was realistic and felt right.
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Race by Robin DiAngelo and Michael Eric Dawson (Foreward) and Amy Landon (Narrator)
In my quest to be anti-racist, I am being intentional about educating myself about diversity and racial equality. I am learning a lot through documentaries, articles and books. I listened to this book on audio through Libro.fm.
White Fragility takes a look at why it is hard for white people to talk about race. Robin DiAngelo characterizes white fragility by emotions such as fear, anger and guilt and behaviors that include argumentation and silence. These emotions and behaviors act to prevent cross-racial dialogue. This book carefully examines how white fragility develops, how it prevents racial equality and what can be done to engage in a better way.
This book was both eye opening and convicting. It is a necessary read for anyone on an anti-racist journey desiring to take a real honest look at themselves and their own white fragility.
Thanks for joining me for this month’s reading wrap-up!! I would love to hear what you read in June!